Street-car fender.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE. i'

VASILIE VLADUTZ, OF HOMESTEAD, PENNSYLVANIA.-

STREET-CAF.; FENDER.

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, VAsiLIE VLADUTZ, a subject of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Homestead, in .thea county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements' in Street-Car Fenders, of which the following -struction the invention further resides in a series of novel locklng devices for sald armsA and in the provision ofcushioning-springs carried by said arms which are adapted to sustain the shock of the collision without injuring the object struck by the car.

The detailed construction will appear as the description proceeds, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, like characters designating like parts throughout the several views, in which-' Figure 1 is aside elevation of a car with my which the arms are mounted beneath the car.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a detentv or locking element for one ofthe grippingarms located upon the front of the car, and

Fig. 7 is a detail top plan elevation of a link l that is employed for maintainingzsaid arms in .45

an open position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A designates thecar, provided with the floor 1 and front 2. vLocated upon the 'front'of the car are a series of supporting-plates 3, which may be arranged in any preferred lnumber and which are arbitrarily shownas arranged three abreast and three deep.` Each transverse row of plates 3 is for the sake of oper? atively mounting the gripping-arms there; upon arranged with the plates in a staggered relation.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 26, 1905. Serial No. 275,926.

Fig. 5 is a detail rear view of the construction in Fig. 4, showlng the manner 1n' In each of the several plates 3 are Patented Dec. 5, 1905.

mounted a pair of oppositely-disposed arcshaped arms4, disposed to lie so as to present a configuration of a semicircle. The varms 4 are pivoted in the plates, as at '5, and are held thereon by a superimposed top plate 6, which is secured to the plate 5 and serves as supplemental bearing. Each of said arms 4 isvprovided with a rearward extension 7, and between the several kpairs of arms 4 adjacent to said rearward extension I have interposed an expansive spiral spring 8. Each pair of arms 4 are retained in a normal position by a locking device embodying a pair of links or rods 9, which are preferably secured at their meeting ends by a pivotal or knuckle joint, as at 10. I The other ends of the rods 9 are adapted to impinge against the outer ends of the gripping-arms A, and at the point of contact with said arms the ends of said rods bear against friction-rollers 11, supported in bearings 12, projecting from the ends of said arms 4. For the purpose of adjusting the degree of frictional contact between the ends of the 'arms andr the rollers 11 I have provided a movable adjusting-plate 12', which is provided with a longitudinal slot (not shown) and is set in any desired position with respect to said rods 9 by a set-screw 18. The` arms 4: have connection with the rods l() by. virtue of a chain 14, secured to one member ofeach pairof arms and links. j

The construction above described represents the gripping device, which will act should an object strike the car between a pair of open arms. However, should the object strike the car at such a point as'to hit said arms at the junction of the outer ends of the same I have constructed a gripping device adapted to operate'as follows: Abracket 15 is secured to vthe front of `the car in alinement with the point at which the outer extremities of said arms are adjacent or overlap one another. This bracket l5 is formed on its outer end with a dependingarm 16, in which is slidably mounted a rod 17, provided with an enlarged head portion 18, located on the outer end thereof. Adjacent the inner end of said rod 17 Yis a plate 19, which serves as a detent for the gripping-arms and is formed with a rearwardly-extending apertured lug 20, which is fulcrurned in a bracket 21, secured to the front of the car. Above said lug said bracket IOO is formed with an opening 22 to' permit of the Y passage of a spiral spring therethrough, as will be hereinafter described, The plate 19 has formed on the upper end.v thereof and disposed one on each side a pair of integral laterally-extending ears 23. Pivotally mounted adjacent the outer end of said bracket l5 are a pair of arms 24, which are fulcrumed in said bracket, as at 25. These arms 24 are provided severally and arranged in proper position with hooked lugs 26, which are angularly disposed and are adapted to be engaged by the ears 23 of the detent-plate 19. A spiral retractile spring 27 extends through the opening 22 in the plate 19, being secured at one end to the front of the car, as at 28, and having secured to its other end the ends of a pair of chains 29, severally connected to the arms is dependent from the iioor 1 ofthe car and embodies the following assemblage of elements. Depending from the iioor 1 is a pair of bracketbearings 31, upon which are secured stationary stub-shafts 32. A bracket 33 depends from the floor 1 and is of shorter length than and interposed'between said bracket-bearings 31. A stub -shaft 34 is mounted in said bracket 33. Sleeved upon said stub-shaft 34 is a depending arc-shaped arm 35, formed adjacent its upper end with an integral collar 36, from which projects a pair of oppositely-disposed lugs 37, having pivotal connection with the end of links 38. Gripping-arms 39 are mounted on the stub-shaft 32 by virtue of an integral sleeve or collar 40, formed on each arm 39 and embracing said shaft 32. Said collar 40'is provided with a laterally-extending short-length extension 4l, in which are mounted in opposite relation spaced frictionrollers 42, between which the end of the link 38 is adapted to project. For the purpose of swinging these arms together when released by link 38 I have provided a retractile coilspring 43, having its one end connected to the bracket 31 and its other end to the stubshaft 32.

For the purpose of cushioning the shock I have secured to the inner sides of the arms 4 and to the outer edge of the plate 3 a series of expansive coil-springs 44, which will react under pressure.

In operation should an object strike the links 9 at any point between the arms 4 it will force said links inwardly, the ends thereof riding over the friction-roller 11 and clearing the ends of the arms 4, at which time the expansion-spring between the rearward extensions 7 of said arms will act against said extensions to swing said arms on their pivots 5 and cause them to close in upon the object. The links 9 are supported by the chain 14. A` set of these arms three deep, as shown, will operate simultaneously, and should the obstacle be a person will tightly grip the body and prevent the same from falling beneath the car. Again, assuming that the object hits the fender between the overlapping ends of a pair of adjacent arms 4, the rod 17 will be struck thereby and forced inwardly, swinging the plate 19 upon its pivot 20, the upper end thereof describing a downward movement in the arc of a circle until the ears 23 shall have cleared the angular lugs 26 of the arms 24. flien the operation shall have proceeded thus far, the spring 27 will react to draw the chains 29 inwardly, and thereby swing the arms 24 upon their pivots 25, encircling the object in front of the area occupied by the arms 4. Should the obstacle be in such a position as to lie out of the path of both sets of arms described above as the car progresses, the obstacle will be struck by the depending arm 35, secured to the lioor thereof, thereby moving said arm rearwardly and withdrawing the links 37 from their position between the rollers mounted upon the lugs 41 of the arms 39. When the links 38 have been withdrawn from locking engagement with the ends of the arms 39, the spring 43 will act to move said arms together and prevent the object hit by the car from being dragged thereunder.

Having fully described my invention, I claim- 1. A car-fender embodying a plurality of arc-shaped arms, said arms heilig pivotally mounted in adjacent pairs, bearings for the several adjacent pairs secured to the body of the car, means for retaining said arms against movement and adapted to be engaged by an obstacle in the progress of the car to release said arms, rearward extensions carried upon the ends of said arms, and means adapted to engage said extensions to force said arms to swing inwardly upon their pivot when released.

2. A car-fender embodying a plurality of arms disposed in horizontal tiers and pivotally mounted, bearings in which said arms are pivotal secured to the body of the car, rearward extensions carried by said arm, means for engaging said extensions and causing said arms to swing inwardly upon their pivots, and means adapted' to be engaged by an obstacle for holding said arms against inward movement.

3. A car-fender embodying horizontallydisposed tiers of gripping arms pivotally mounted in pairs bearings for said arms secured to the body of the car, a second series of arms pivotally mounted at a point between the vertically-alined adjacent ends of said lirstnamed arms, brackets in which said secondnamed series are mounted, rearward extensions carried by said first-named series, an expansive spiral spring interposed between said extensions and adapted to force said arms together, means for retaining first-named series of arms from movement under the influence of said spring, said retaining means being released from engagement with said arms by con- IOO IIO

IIC

tact with an obstacle, means for forcing said last-named serles of arms to swing together y' upon their pivots, and means for holding said ries to swing together upon their`- pivots, and means for .locking said arms against inward movement, said locking means being obstacleoperated and embodying a pivotallyemounted depending arm having connection at its pivotal end with sliding bolts adapted to normally enter into locking engagement with said first-` named arms'.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VASILIE VLADUTZ.

Witnesses:

EDWIN LOGAN, 0. KLOSTERMANN. a 

